Curricular Differentiation and Stratification in Australia

This paper examines curricular differentiation and stratification in the Australian education system. Our aim is to contribute to the development of a comparative framework about curricular differentiation and stratification in national systems of education. Using a typology from LeTender, Hofer and Shimizu (2003), we show how and where curricular differentiation and stratification occur in Australia. We draw on secondary sources and our insider, lived knowledge to show how and where curricular differentiation and stratification occur as well as the structural features of Australian schooling that mediate them. Curricular differentiation and stratification are not widely researched in the Australian context, suggesting that these processes are naturalised. As such, this paper presents preliminary insights that can serve as a foundation for future research.